With the end of a chapter, a new one arises. Welcome to the Writers Novel Workshop 2.0, a new iteration of the previous Writers Novel Marathon Workshop! A newborn Phoenix, arising from the ashes of its old self, the Writers Novel Workshop will continue where its predecessor has left off, a greater force than before!

Unlike the previous workshop, there will be a much greater emphasis on free-form and self-improvement. What you choose to contribute to this workshop is what you choose to improve and dedicate to yourself. You yourself hold the power to give life to the story you wish, and the will to make that story flourish. The question is...

Will You?

The setup will follow a much looser format: anyone is free to join and leave at anytime, and it is up to the participants themselves to update and review stories. Every Sunday, a Community Vote will be held every week for those who wishes to post their stories. However, to prevent people from spontaneously posting stories and abruptly leaving, you are required to review At Least One story before you will be included in the vote. The Workshop Directors will oversee that you are following these rules accordingly.

When reviewing, we will still be using the same format from the original workshop, as provided below:

1. Give good feedback.Take notes on what you liked and didn't like. Don't just write down a list, explain why you liked or disliked such-and-such. "I like this character. They work hard to... and I really like to see where they go from there." "I didn't like this character. He seems petty and self-centered." That is good feedback.

2. Be specificIt goes without saying, if you don't say what's good or bad about something, the author won't know what needs to be done. Try to work details in your review.

3. Be descriptive, not proscriptive! Everything having been said, remember you are giving feedback. You are not telling them how to write their stories. You should not be saying "You should be doing this!" "This is how you... etc." It is the author's own job to see if the reaction you give is the reaction they want out of their writing. Saying "I was bored in this part" is actually more useful than telling them "You should make this more exciting." Sometimes the author wants you to be bored there! Telling them how something should be written destroys the message the author is attempting to convey, and instead panders to what you would write in their place. Try to understand what the author is getting at, and see whether the writing is doing the job it's supposed to. Just no dictating.

4. Ignore the small stuffIf the first thing in your review is something along the lines of "You misspelled 'such-and-such'" or "You use 'such-and-such' too much," that's not very helpful. You should be leading with the big things. Plot, characters, setting. Talk about those in details, and perhaps at the end of the review you can mention it, but always lead with the big things first. Only talk about prose if it becomes a big issue, as in it's so atrocious you have a hard time understanding what in the world the author's saying. I assume we all know how to speak decent English, so hopefully that won't be too much of an issue Remember, most of the writing in the Workshop will be ROUGH. That's fine. It'll be revised and edited down the line, so focus on the more pressing issues at hand.

As for keeping track of your own stories, I suggest drafting a portfolio for yourself. Again, that too will be dragged from the old workshop.

Operative13 Portfolio

Story: The Coming StormGenre: Steampunk Historical Military Fantasy

Synopsis: Seven years ago, a terrible war was waged in the Geioic Seas that left the once-prosperous island nation of Mariana in ruins. Although they left the war as victors against their Elsian invaders, the scars of battle has yet to heal the people's hearts and minds. Now, invigorated by a charismatic and staunch leader, Mariana has turned from a quiet, isolated republic, into an authoritarian military-state. With war brewing in the air once again, it seems the peaceful life that Allen Touler knew will come crashing down on him once more.

Generally follow the format above when posting your portfolio in the workshop and if you do it right, you'll see yourself in the OP with a link to your portfolio and your story included in the weekly Community Vote on Sunday. If not, do PM me or one of the Directors about the issue. You can review either the example story above or one of the other members' stories.

Remember, this is open format. The workshop only lives so long as its members contribute regularly to it. I will not be around to keep things going on my own, so it is up to you, the MangaRaiders Community, to breathe life into it. Special Events will be planned and announced accordingly by my Directors.

Well? What are you waiting for? Sign up today, and let your story shine to the world!

I will try my best to take a swing at this, it will be an interesting experiment to be sure, I typically don't do the best under too much pressure, but, one must go out of their comfort zone to expand their skills and knowledge. So I will take the swan dive off of my comfortable unproductive habit I've been forming and make an effort to form a new and better habit of writing every day so that I may actually get around to writing more in my book.

I haven't fully decided on the story I want to write for this new workshop but I think it will be medieval in setting, at least in part.

I will put my portfolio here and update this post once I have done so I suppose.

To my fellow writers I encourage you to do the same and join in this workshop, because as the saying goes, misery loves company hehehe... But in all seriousness I think we could really do some great things to improve if we take the time to sit down and do some good writing with some accountability.

I think I'll join this round. Hopefully I'll be able to finish this time.

For this, I've got a different story I want to write, and I'm very excited about it.

Portfolio:

Spoiler

The Storm's Eye

Synopsis: A seasoned monster hunter and her apprentice are chosen to serve as bodyguards of the royal family as they go on a religious pilgrimage. However, after a terrible storm, the traveling party becomes separated. Now, they must try to find each other and reach their destination in one piece.

I'll go ahead and add you guys to the roster. In the meanwhile you should get your portfolios set up using the format from last time. Remember, this workshop is "at-your-own-pace" this time, so try not to procrastinate too much between weeks

The first Community Vote will be out tomorrow. I should mention that before you can get started, you must review at least one other work before your story is included in the vote. Keep in mind there are no limits to how many stories you can post, but ideally you should keep to just one that you are willing to update regularly.

Hello everyone c: I put together a little activity so that we'd get to know our characters better.

All you need to do is fill out all the character sheet below, if some things don't apply to your character then you can just skip over them. You don't need to answer them all, just answer as much as you want to.

Romantic Interest: Define relationship: How did they meet: How long together: Biggest issue between them:

Other RelationshipsWorst enemy: How did this relationship start?: Best Friend: How did this relationship start?:Role model:How did this relationship start?:Mentor: How did this relationship start?:Combat (If applicable)Ability:Element:Martial Arts: Immunities: Resistances: Strengths: Weaknesses: Futilities: Restrictions: Signature move: Special Attack: Courage Level: Type of fighter (Runs in? Strategizes? Flights from afar?

Sweet Jesus, I feel like a slacker, but hey you can't control the "Migraine Strikes Back." But now that I can look at a computer screen again time to put down my story, I'll do a quick update to this post with the link after I post this.

The Wraith Knight

Synopsis: In a world where the supernatural exists, a monastic order known as the Legion of the Holy Trinity, serve the Pope and God to defend humanity and exterminate the darkness with divine wrath; But when an enemy the Legion has not seen in centuries reemerges from the shadows, and the knowledge to defeat it has been long lost, they task a young squire to chase a rumour, that the spirit of one of the order's greatest heroes, resides somewhere in Japan...

Just a quick reminder, you must complete at least one review following the format given in the OP before your stories are included in the community vote. Members of the original Novel Marathon Workshop will not be required to complete this task.